Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Superfoods Month: Superfood smoothie from Holistically Haute

[Erika says: Fittingly, the last post in this Superfoods Month series comes from Rachael Pontillo of Holistically Haute Wellness. Rachael is my health coach and the one who inspired this series through our work to change my diet for the better. I still haven't made green smoothies a daily habit, but I'm trying.]

I love green smoothies for breakfast. I didn’t always love them…I will admit it. But I never disliked them enough to not have them. I started having them about 7 months ago which is when I really actively began to make healthier choices in my life, and I read some great books and articles that all talked about how great greens are for you and how green smoothies really are a great way to get the most out of your greens. So I figured I’d give them a try and I started feeling (and looking) so much better so quickly that I never stopped. Now I really can’t start my day out the right way if I don’t have my green smoothie for breakfast.

Why smoothies?

Smoothies are a great way to get the nutrients from a lot of different fruits and veggies at once. It would take me a very long time to eat each piece of fruit or each leaf of lettuce one by one…I would probably get bored (and possibly full) pretty quickly. I don’t there is any way I could possibly have the time every morning either.

Another benefit of smoothies is that they are raw (all nutrients and enzymes are intact) and easy to digest. Many people cannot tolerate raw fruits and veggies in the morning (some can’t at all) because of the fiber content. Raw fruits and veggies come equipped with everything they need (enzymes) to be properly digested, but those enzymes must be activated first. This can be done by proper chewing of the food, but most people don’t chew enough to begin with, especially during the morning rush. Blending up the fruits and vegetables activates these enzymes for you which actually pre-digests them and makes them much easier on the stomach.

My favorite smoothie benefit is variety. There are tons of great recipes out there (including the one I’m about to share with you) but the best thing is that you can make them with whatever you happen to have on hand at the time. I use whichever fresh lettuces, vegetables, and fruits I happen to get in my weekly organic produce delivery from my local co-op, and add in superfoods that I get at the health food store and keep on hand. So use this recipe as a guide, but feel free to make substitutes with whatever you have on hand or find at the store.

This smoothie contains more Superfoods in one glass than you'd ever have the patience to eat whole. Make a lot and freeze the extra in single-serving containers. Look for wakame at health food or Japanese grocery stores.

Put the water in the blender first and then add the ingredients one by one in order. It is important to add the avocado at the very end and only blend it enough to make it creamy…it will stiffen up into a firm, meringue-like consistency if you overblend it and then you won’t be able to drink it.

This is great! Navitas Naturals makes a blend that I usually use for smoothies (Cacao/hemp/maca)and have been happy with so I found Maqui powder in one of their displays but hadn't found a home in my recipes for it...this morning I added it to your recipe and it adds a great purple power punch. I haven't tried it with my protein blend yet as I didn't want to stray too much from the original taste, but when I do I'll let you know if it works out.